Bittersweet, Redone
by Pie for President '16
Summary: Rewriting and reposting of old fanfic. Martin spirals downward after Ruthie's rejection. But when they meet up again, will things be the same or will things be permanently damaged for good? Chapter six rated a high T for good reason.
1. Chapter 1

This is the rewrite of a fic I had up a few years ago called _Bittersweet_. It was originally posted in 2007, not too long after the show ended. The bit about Mac and Margaret is incorrect, because I hadn't seen the finale yet, but I saw the episode before.

**WARNING**: It will contain sensitive topics and graphic material. You've been warned.

* * *

Martin went downhill after Ruthie turned him down that night. He really tried his best to show Ruthie he had grown up and would treat her better, with respect. Instead of accepting him with welcoming arms, like Martin expected her to, she rejected him.

Well, the young man blew it way out of proportion. He told everyone she led him on, only to say it was all a joke and she hated his guts. In reality, Ruthie told him she wasn't ready for a relationship with him, a teen father.

The day after the Camdens left on their road trip, Martin decided to seek out his best friend, Mac, for support. Unfortunately, Mac left with his girlfriend, Margaret, on their first vacation that morning. They went to Catalina Island and wouldn't be back for a week and half. How they got the money to go beat Martin, but he didn't care.

He was upset that his best friend was nowhere around, he needed someone to talk to. Martin made his way to the nearest bar, not giving a fuck it was only eleven in the morning. He wanted something to soothe the pain within him, the pain of being rejected by the girl he loved.

He parked his car and made his way in, heading straight for the barstools. After a minute, a bartender walked over to him, ready to take his order.

"What can I get you?" The bartender asked.

"Beer." Martin replied shortly.

The woman waiting on him hesitated but didn't ask questions. It was a bar after all, and she had to respect what her customers wanted. She went to get Martin a bottle of beer and handed the icy liquid to him.

"Here you go."

Martin grunted in thanks, taking a sip of the refreshing alcoholic beverage.

From that moment on, Martin Brewer was never the same again. He had never even had a drink of beer before. Hell, thought of it made him want to gag. But not anymore, he eventually grew a great liking for it.

His spiral downwards didn't stop with just the drinking.

After nights and days with countless hangovers and one-night stands, he got tired of the booze and ladies. He decided to turn to another source to distract him from his heartbroken depression, which was slowly—but surely—growing into resentment.

It was drugs he decided to do next.

Doing and dealing drugs was how he lived for the next couple years. He had spent time over and over carefully dodging trouble with all the illegal substance he was using.

Now, it was the spring of 2010 and Martin should have been finishing up college at this point. But no, instead, he dropped out three years previously. How he lived on what he made wasn't surprising, since he was one of the most seeked out drug dealer around. But he worked at McDonalds to keep up his good image, so the authorities wouldn't begin questioning him.

Our story begins now, in June of 2010.


	2. Chapter 2

Here's chapter two.

I don't own 7th Heaven, just this plot.

* * *

Ruthie had no idea what she was doing here. She was standing outside the door of Martin's apartment. She wanted to go inside, but she just couldn't yet. She was getting creeped out standing out there, with all the weirdoes and druggies looking at her.

She went against Mac and Margaret's request, telling her not to go see Martin. But she didn't care, she had to go see him.

She remembered the conversation with the two, which was just the day before. She had decided to drive up to see the engaged couple.

_She knocked on the door of Mac and Margaret condo suite. Apparently, Mac never knew his parents were rich. When they died a year and a half earlier, he inherited almost all of it. The rest went charity._

_A minute later, Margaret came to the door and opened it._

_"Ruthie, it's great to see you!" Margaret squeaked, giving Ruthie a hug._

_Ruthie smiled and let herself in._

_"So, what brings you to see us?" Mac got up and walked over to the two, giving Ruthie a quick hug._

_"Um," Ruthie took a deep breath. "I came to ask you two if you knew where Martin is now."_

_Mac and Margaret looked at each other nervously._

_"What's wrong?"_

_Mac sighed._

_"He's not the same Martin, Ruthie. He has changed, a lot."_

_"How has he changed?"_

_Mac went to start on how he had changed beginning with her rejected him but Margaret slapped him on the back before he had the chance to say anything._

_"Mac!" Margaret rolled her eyes and turned to Ruthie._

_"Look, just take our word for it; you do not want to see Martin."_

_"Come on, I can take it! I'm not a little kid. Spill, how has Martin changed?"_

_Mac sighed._

_"You should sit down, then."_

_The three of them moved to the living room, Ruthie sitting on the love seat and Mac and Margaret sat on the sofa._

_"It started after you lead him on only to crush him." Mac nodded, but before he had the chance to say anything else, Ruthie interrupted him._

_"What did you say?! I led him on? I never lead him on!"_

_"That's what he told us."_

_"That's a bunch of crap! He came to me, saying he was going to grow up and take responsibility for Aaron, all because he wanted to be with me. I told him I didn't want to be with him, I wasn't ready to be in a relationship with a teenaged father. I was only seventeen!"_

_Margaret nodded._

_"I believe you. But why would Martin lie like that?"_

_Ruthie shrugged._

_"And you two believed him?"_

_"Not really. But we just played along."_

_"We know you're not like that, Ruthie."_

_Ruthie smiled weakly._

_"So, how has he changed?" She asked once again._

_Mac sighed._

_"Want me to tell her, Mars?"_

_"Yeah, I think it'd be best."_

_"Well, after you told him you didn't want to be with him, he just gave everything up. He turned to drinking, heavy drinking. He did that for about a year and got tired of all the hang-overs and hook-ups. So he stopped drinking, or we think he did, and turned to drugs."_

_"And you couldn't have stopped him?"_

_Mac shook his head._

_"He claimed he didn't need help. He didn't want any help."_

_"What does he do now?"_

_"He cleans up at McDonalds after it closes and…"_

_Mac looks down._

_"And what?" Ruthie demanded._

_"He deals drugs."_

_"WHAT?!"_

_"It's his way to get extra money. He's so intent on living without support from me and Mac. We've tried to tell him many times it's so dangerous, dealing drugs. He just doesn't listen."_

_"Maybe I could help."_

_"That's not a good idea, Ruthie."_

_"Come on, would it hurt to try?"_

_Mac sighed._

_"No, I guess not. But call if you get into trouble or if anything happens."_

_"I will."_

_Mac reluctantly got up and went to the kitchen, pulling out a paper and wrote down Martin's address._

_Ruthie and Margaret got up as Mac walked back in._

_"Here you go."_

_Mac handed Ruthie the piece of paper._

_"Thanks."_

_"Ruthie, I don't think you should go. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."_

_"I'm going to be fine, Margaret. Well, I'll be going now. It was nice seeing you two again."_  
_  
Mac and Margaret exchanged goodbyes with Ruthie. Ruthie let herself out and headed for Martin's apartment. It was too far away to get there before dark, so she drove to a hotel and spent the night before driving the rest of the way to Martin's._

Ruthie took a deep breath and walked into the building. She asked where Martin lived and a woman answered he was on the fifth floor, the third door down on the right.

Ruthie made her way up and walked to Martin's door. She slowly raised her arm up, making a fist, and knocked on the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ruthie was about to walk away when the apartment door swung oven, revealing a disheveled Martin.

"Martin?"

He was simply looking at her, in shock.

"Ruthie! Wh- what are you doing here?"

"I came by to see you. Margaret and Mac gave me your address, I hope it's all right."

"Yeah, that's fine. But, uh, it's not the best time to be here." Martin glanced back into his apartment quickly.

"Why not?" Ruthie finally caught a faint whiff of alcohol, but shrugged it off.

"It just isn't, can you come back in an hour? My apartment is a mess."

Ruthie nodded, not sure whether she should believe him.

"Okay." She left and Martin returned to his apartment.

Once inside with the door shut and locked behind him, Martin let out a sigh of relief. But now, he had to clean up the empty liquor bottles and hide the weed. Quickly. -

An hour later, Ruthie returned. This time, Martin was ready for her and answered within a minute.

"Come in." Martin opened the door for her. This time, instead of smelling alcohol, Ruthie smelt mint. She didn't make much of an eye contact with Martin as she stepped inside.

Martin shut the door behind her and led her into the living room.

"Have a seat, can I get you anything to drink?" Martin offered when Ruthie was seated.

Ruthie thought for a couple seconds, before politely turning down the offer.

"All right, well, what brings you by?" Martin took a seat on the other couch.

"I wanted to come see you, is there a problem with that?"

"Well, it is pretty sudden. Especially after what you did, I can't believe you even have the nerves to come up here to see me."

Ruthie laughed in disbelief and shook her head.

"I didn't do anything, Martin! I told you, I wasn't ready to be in a relationship with you. You were a teenaged father who had a lot of growing up to do. Sure, you told me you would work harder at it because you wanted to be with me, but still. I was only seventeen, being with you would have made things much more complicated than they were already." Ruthie told him, trying to maintain her temper.

"Why did you lie to everyone?"

Martin shrugged.

"Because I was angry with you, you took something away from me."

"I took something away from you? What exactly did I take away from you, Martin?"

Martin ran his hand through his dark hair.

"I was in love with you, Ruthie. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Now, no thanks to you, Sandy has full custody of Aaron and got a restraining order against me."

Ruthie raised a brow. _Maybe coming here was a bad idea_ she thought.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Martin. Maybe you could talk to her or something, but she probably had a reason to do that. It was not my fault, whatever happened is yours. Mac and Margaret have told me what you've been up to."

"Yeah, well, it's all your fault."

Ruthie let out a deep sigh.

"You know, maybe I should just go. Coming here was a bad idea." Ruthie said, standing up.

"Wait!" Martin cried, standing up.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Ruthie. I don't know what has gotten into me. You're right, it's my fault, I should take full responsibility for my own actions. Sandy has full custody of Aaron because she was afraid I was too unstable and irresponsible, she didn't want me to hurt Aaron accidentally. She's right, and I'm going to change my behavior. For you and Aaron."

Ruthie looked at Martin carefully, trying to read his eyes. But they betrayed nothing, and he did sound sincere.

"I came here because I want to be your girlfriend now. But we can take it slowly."

Martin nodded.

"Yes, let's take it slowly. I need to take care of myself first."

"I understand. Well, I should go. It was nice seeing you again, Martin.

"You too, Ruthie." Martin smiled.

Within minutes, Ruthie was gone and Martin was once again alone in his apartment.

"Mac here, you better have a good reason to be calling this late." Mac's voice grumbled through the line.

"Mac, it's Ruthie. I just saw Martin, you were right. But he wants to change, he's going to stop being immature and irresponsible. He wants to see me and Aaron."

"You believe him?" Mac asked.

"I think I do."

Ruthie could hear Mac sighing.

"Ruthie, I'm telling you… This is a bad idea. You do not want to be involved with Martin. Whatever he tries to tell you are just lies. He tried telling Margaret and me that he'd change in the past, and he never has."

"He was pretty sincere, Mac. Anyways, I'm sorry for bothering you, I'll let you go back to sleep."

"Come by when you get back."

"I will, good night."


	4. Chapter 4

Please review, I'd love some concrit or some appraisal. :) I don't own 7th Heaven, unfortunately. :(

* * *

Chapter 4

When Ruthie got back into town the next day, she met up with Mac and Margaret at the coffee shop down the street from their exquisite house. The three of them were sitting in a big. comfy purple sofa.

"So, tell me again, Ruthie." Mac requested as he took a large sip of coffee. "And don't leave out any detail."

"Well," Ruthie started, looking at her lap before looking at the happy couple. "When I arrived, there were all these creepy people. gawking at me. I knocked on Martin's door several times, but never got an answer."

"You should have taken someone with you, Ruthie!" Margaret squeaked.

Mac shook his head, sighing.

"He was probably drunk out of his mind or stoned."

"Anyways, he finally answered and I could smell alcohol on his breath."

"No surprise." Mac muttered, earning himself a light slap and glare from Margaret.

"He told me to come back in an hour, that it wasn't the right time and his apartment was a mess. I went back an hour later, and we talked. He yelled at me and I explained to him why I turned him down. He said he wanted to change his behavior, for me and Aaron. We're going to be friends for now, but I want to be his girlfriend eventually."

"Ruthie, we really care about you. You're our best friend." Mac started and Ruthie smiled.

"Thanks, Mac. I really care about you and Margaret as well. You two are very good friends of mine and I'm very lucky to have you guys in my life."

"Ruthie." Margaret interrupted. "Please take our word for it, Martin has told us this before. He has said he'd change for the better because of Aaron. He's told us he didn't want to keep drinking and doing drugs. But that has never happened, he'd go a week without getting drunk or high and then he'd start again."

"We don't want you getting hurt, Ruthie. I don't think being his girlfriend, eventually, is a good idea."

Margaret shook her head in agreement.

"My co-worker's cousin got out of a relationship a few months ago and he's ready to date again." Margaret told her.

"I've hung out with him a few times, he's a really great guy. Comes from a loving family, was an honors student in high school and made the Dean's list in college. He's a successful journalist, he's got some positive media attention. He's been out to the Mid-East and did some coverage on the war in Afghanistan. I think you'd like him."

Margaret nodded.

"What do you say, Ruthie? Would you give it a try?"

Ruthie let out a sigh.

"I really want to be with Martin."

Mac shook his head.

"Ruthie, it's a bad idea. Come on, please give Craig a try. If it doesn't work out, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Fine, I'll meet Craig."

"Thanks, Ruthie. I'll give you his number when we get back." Margaret smiled, taking a bite of her croissant.

The three friends continued chatting, nibbling on pastry and sipping on their coffee for the next hour. When they felt satisfied, they made their way back to Margaret and Mac's house.

"All right, here's his number." Margaret said, writing on a piece of sticky note.

"I'll let him know you're planning to call."

"Thanks, Margaret." Ruthie gave Margaret a hug, then Mac before leaving.

Once she got to her apartment, Ruthie pulled the sticky note out of her pocketbook and dialed the number. After one ring, a soothing male voice answered.

"Craig Whitman here."

"Hey, it's Ruthie. Margaret and Mac's friend."

"Ah, yes, Mars said you'd be calling. We spoke briefly, what do you think of a double date? Margaret told me you were feeling a bit nervous, and I figured it'd be nice to have some friends around on that first date."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. Thank you. What day is good for you?"

"Well, I live about half an hour away, and it'd be too late and a bit rude to just show up today. What do you say to tomorrow or this Friday?"

"I should do some studying tonight and tomorrow. How about Friday?"

The apartment began ringing, but Ruthie ignorexd it.

"Yeah, Friday sounds great. I'll see you then!"

"Good luck studying, take care."

With that, they hung up and Ruthie rushed to answer her landline. She saw it was Martin calling and decided not to answer it. She really should begin studying, she wasted Friday not studying and it was Saturday evening now.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

The rest of the weekend and week following went by slowly in Ruthie's opinion. All she could keep thinking about was Friday night and meeting the guy Margaret and Mac were trying to set her up with. She really wanted to be with Martin, but she figured he would want his own space for now. What could it hurt giving Craig a try?

At first, Ruthie and Martin conversed occasionally over the following days. Martin understood Ruthie had classes and two tests to do. So he waited until she called him for the first few days. But beginning Wednesday, he began calling when she was in class or busy studying.

"Martin, I told you, I can't talk. I have to do this Psych essay."

"But Ruthie, we haven't spoken in a day."

"A day won't kill you, Martin. I'm trying to give you your space, isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yeah, but I don't want you to think I'm no longer interested."

Ruthie bit her lips. Martin didn't know about Craig, she hadn't told him about the double date she was having two nights later.

"I-" Ruthie began, pausing. "I'm kind of already seeing someone."

"You're seeing someone?"

"Not yet, I'm seeing him Friday night. He's a friend of Margaret and Mac."

"But what about me, Ruthie? You did not just drive all the way up here this past weekend only to lead me on. _Again_!"

"Martin, we agreed to be friends first. You even said so yourself, you want time to focus on yourself and to get better."

"Yeah, but I'd thought you'd wait for me."

"That's impossible! You're asking too much of me, Martin. I can't do this. I can't be your friend if you're going to be like this. I have to go, bye."

"Ruthie."

Ruthie sighed, exasperated. There was no way she was going to get this essay done tonight now that Martin has distracted and upset her.

"What, Martin?"

"Maybe we could hang out this weekend?"

"We'll see. Bye." Ruthie hung up before Martin had a chance to say anything else.

The next two days went by quickly, and Ruthie finally got that Psych essay done early Friday morning while drinking coffee. After classes were done with for the day, she drove over to Margaret and Mac's, where she'd be meeting Craig.

"We're going to this Italian restaurant the next town over." Margaret explained once Ruthie arrived.

"Don't worry about paying, Ruthie. We've got it all covered." Mac smiled at his friend.

"Are you sure?" Ruthie asked, nervously. She felt like she was always taking advantage of Margaret and Mac with them always offering to pay.

"Absolutely!"

"He's here." Margaret squeaked, running to the door.

"You all right there?" Mac asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ruthie smiled. She hadn't told Mac and Margaret about the incident over the phone Wednesday night.

A few seconds later, Margaret returned with a tall olive-skinned man in a polo shirt and khakis.

"Ruthie, this is Craig. Craig, Ruthie." Margaret introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you." Craig took Ruthie's hand and kissed it. Ruthie could feel her cheeks burning.

"Nice to meet you too."

"Let's get going, our reservation's at five."

Ruthie looked at the time on her phone, it read five minutes to four. The four friends left the house and took two separate cars to the restaurant. Mac and Margaret were in Mac's Jeep while Ruthie and Craig went in his SUV.

"We'll see you there!" Mac called out the car window.

"So, tell me some things about yourself, Ruthie." Craig asked, shifting the gear into "drive" and followed the burgundy Jeep down the street.

"What do you know?"

"Well, I know you're in your third year of college and you want to be a therapist. You come from a large family, and your dad was a minister. What was that like, growing up with so many siblings? I'm an only child, but I do have a few step-siblings."

"I can't imagine being an only child! Well, I'm a bit younger than my oldest siblings: Matt, Mary and Lucy. The three of them were out of the house by the time I became a teenager. Well, not Lucy, but she was married to Kevin by then. I'm told I was really close to Matt when I was little, and Mary somewhat. I can't remember ever being close to Mary, but I know I'm close to Matt. It's nice to have a big brother ten years older. He looks out for everyone, you know? Like a second father, at times."

"My step-siblings are all older than me, so I didn't have any boyfriends' asses to kick."

"Well, my brothers were out of the house by the time I had my first boyfriend. So, unfortunately, there was no ass-kicking from Matt and Simon. But Kevin's pretty protective of me. It can get pretty annoying. What about you, did you get along with your step-siblings?"

"My parents divorced when I was really young and married people with children older than me. I'm not really close to any of them, except maybe Leanne. She's just two years older than me. Actually, she was the one who encouraged me to take up journalism after seeing my sports column in elementary school, and I did the school paper in middle and high school. After I did a coverage on how the war is affecting children, my teachers all said I should go over to Afghanistan and write. Left a month after graduating."

"That sounds really nice."

"It is. I did that for a few years, and I've been back since last fall. I'm ready to do some more studying."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to be an engineer. I just signed up for a summer course at the tech school."

Ruthie's cell phone rang then, and she checked it. It was Martin calling, and she rolled her eyes.

"Who is it?" Craig asked, turning into a parking lot. They were now at the restaurant.

"Nobody important, they can wait." Ruthie put on a smile. She was not going to let Martin ruin her night, Margaret and Mac would never forgive either one of them for blowing this wonderful opportunity.

"All right, we're here. You stay right there." Craig shut off the engine and left the car. Ruthie was confused for a couple seconds until she saw him come around her side of the car and open the door.

She smiled at him and got out.

"So chivalrous."

"Margaret has told me wonderful things about you, I don't want to disappoint you."

Ruthie shook her head.

"Just be yourself, that's not disappointing me."

"All right, then. Let's meet our friends." Craig smiled and lead the way towards the restaurant.


	6. Chapter 6

Well, well, well. We're finally here. At the chapter that will change the name of the Marthie game. Oh, ho, ho. I am so psyched about this! XD

I won't give a warning, as it'll be a spoiler.

* * *

"I had a good time tonight." Ruthie said once she and Craig were back in the car on their way to her apartment. The two, along with Margaret and Mac, spent a few hours at the restaurant chatting.

"So did I." Craig replied, turning down onto the street Ruthie lived.

"Should we see one another again?"

"Don't you?"

They were pulling into the parking lot now. Craig parked and shut off the engine, looking at Ruthie.

"Yeah, of course." She smiled.

"Then I think we should as well. Do you want me to walk you to your door?"

"Sure, that'd be nice." Ruthie got out of the car and walked around to Craig's side.

The new couple made their way to her apartment, which was on the third floor.

"Do you want to hang out for a while?" Ruthie asked when they were in the elevator.

"Yeah, that'd be cool."

"Here we are, third floor." Ruthie announced when the elevator doors slid open.

Ruthie could see a figure at by her apartment door and was confused. Who would be waiting for her at this hour? She couldn't see who it was, they were wearing a dark hooded sweater, with the hood pulled over their head.

Unconsciously, she wrapped her arm around Craig's.

"You all right?"

"Someone's at my door. I don't know who it is."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

The two walked towards her apartment door, Craig a few steps ahead of Ruthie.

"How can I help you tonight?" Craig asked the figure and they turned to face him. Ruthie gasped when she saw who it was.

"Just waiting for my girlfriend to get home."

"What?" Ruthie cried. "Martin, I am not your girlfriend."

"That's not what you said the other day. And who is this?"

"This is my friend, I told you about him. We went out tonight, something you knew about."

"Doesn't look like just a friend to me, Ruthie. We need to talk."

Ruthie looked between Craig and Martin in shock. Craig turned to her, looking sad and hurt.

"Craig, it's not what you think."

"I should go and let the two of you talk." He told her quietly and walked away, leaving Ruthie alone with Martin.

She turned to Martin, eyes burning with fire and fury.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I want you, Ruthie. What were you doing with that guy? He can never be good enough for you! Nobody's good enough for you but me."

Ruthie turned away from Martin and unlocked the door to her apartment. She opened it and tried to shut it behind her quickly, she wanted to be done with Martin. Mac and Margaret were right.

But Martin was too quick for her. His strong arm stopped the door from shutting completely and he forced himself through the door.

Something deep within Ruthie stirred uneasily, but she ignored it.

"Ruthie, let's talk about this."

"I'm really tired, Martin. Can we talk tomorrow?" She asked, trying to remain calm.

"Aw, that's too bad." Martin said softly, brushing her hair back. Ruthie cringed involuntarily.

"Are you all talked out from your date with that loser?"

"He's not a loser! And I don't see how that is any of your business, Martin."

"Well, we don't have to talk." Martin smirked, moving closer to Ruthie. She found herself backing away, towards the couch.

"What are you doing?"

"Making your dreams come true."

"What dreams?"

Martin leaned forward and began kissing Ruthie on the neck, running his hand down her back. A rush of horror went through Ruthie as she realized what he meant by that.

"Martin, no." Ruthie whimpered, pushing Martin away from her, but he grabbed her wrists and held on too tightly.

"You don't want to do that."

Ruthie looked into his eyes. The blue-green warmth she fell in love with were now solid, cold and dark. She could feel tears forming.

"Martin, please." Ruthie begged.

"You still dream of me, huh?" Martin smiled cockily and picked her up.

"Put me down!" Ruthie demanded. "Now!" She started flailing and punching her fists on his back.

Martin didn't listen and instead carried her to her bedroom.

"Martin! Stop this!"

"Remember what I said, just cooperate. Or else, I'll have to knock you out."

"Go ahead, knock me out! I'd rather be unconscious while you rape me!"

Martin raised a brow.

"Who said I was going to rape you? What a harsh accusation!"

Ruthie let out a snort of disbelief.

"Just do it and get it over with." She snarled.

Martin shrugged and took off his belt. Ruthie gulped as he wrapped it around her neck.

"This'll leave a mark. Now, if anyone asks, you wanted it rough."

"Fine, whatever."

The last thing Ruthie saw before she fell unconscious was her pant dropping to the ground.

* * *

I got the idea to do this way back in 2007! But the idea at the time was out of revenge. As I watched season eleven properly, I came to realize this could be possible! So it's no longer about venegance, it is about wanting to be original and experiment with Marthie.

I realize this will make me popular with only two people. LOL. But oh well. :) I enjoy writing, I love writing! It's hard to be original these days, and after six years... I decided, enough was enough!

Oh, and "yaleace", you must have something other than "write more soon..." to say about this. :)


	7. Chapter 7

Now the story is back to a T rating. Thanks for reading! I don't own 7th Heaven.

Thanks Nikki for helping me with the scene the doctor was in!

* * *

It seemed like countless hours had passed before Ruthie became conscious once again. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Everything was bright, but a bit hazy. She turned her head to check out her surroundings, and found she was in a hospital. Sitting just a few feet away was her big brother, Simon, talking to Mac.

Ruthie tried speaking, but her throat felt raw and constricted. She settled for stirring and felt a jolt of pain in her pelvic area, letting out a hoarse cry of pain.

Mac and Simon stopped talking immediately and looked over at her. Simon's eyes widened, he stood and walked quickly over to her.

"Ruthie! You're awake! Thank goodness. Do you know who I am?"

Ruthie looked at him confused, wondering why he was asking that. She eventually nodded.

"Whew, the doctors said your brain didn't have any oxygen for a long time. They're amazed you even lived. I'm going to fucking kill that bastard when I lay my hands on him."

Ruthie's eyes widened and her hand went on Simon's wrist. Simon ran his free hand through his hair.

"Right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

She could see Mac stand from the corner of her eyes and walk over to them.

"Simon tells me to stop feeling this way, but I feel just terrible Ruthie. I feel like it's all my fault, some friend I am."

"Mac, why don't you go get the doctor? Tell her Ruthie's awake."

Mac nodded and left the room. Simon pulled a plastic chair up and sat down, inches from Ruthie's bed. She noticed he had tears streaming down his cheeks. She let go of his hand and wiped the tears away. Simon laughed weakly.

"Didn't realize I'd been crying. I'm sorry, I'm just…" Simon shook his head and wiped his eyes.

The two siblings remained in silence for a few minutes until Mac returned with the doctor.

"Hello, Ruthie, I'm Allison. I've been the doctor treating you the past few days. I don't want you to try to talk, you suffered a pretty nasty blow to your neck. With your fingers, one indicating very little to five remembering a lot, how much do you remember?"

Ruthie stuck two fingers up

Allison nodded and looked at Simon and Mac. Ruthie looked over at them, wondering what was going on.

"We'll just leave you two be." Simon said, pulling Mac out of the room. Ruthie looked back over at the doctor.

"Ruthie, on Friday evening, you were assaulted in your apartment."

Ruthie's brows scrunched up and she remained in thought for a few seconds. Then it dawned upon her, why her throat felt raw and her pelvis hurt. Her eyes widened in shock and she felt tears forming.

"You were unconscious for an hour until your friends Mac and Margaret found you in your apartment. It was a good thing they arrived when they did. We all were surprised you were still breathing."

Ruthie nodded.

"Ruthie." Allison paused, and Ruthie knew what was coming.

"While you were unconscious, we did a rape exam on you. However, we will need your consent to process it. Are you all right with this?"

Ruthie nodded.

"Thank you. I have the forum right here, I just need you to sign it." Allison handed a paper-bound clipboard to Ruthie and a pen. Ruthie looked down at it and signed quickly, not wanting to read the details.

"All right, I'll get it sent down to the lab as soon as possible. I'll have a nurse bring in some food and hot tea for you. Would you like to see your family?"

Ruthie nodded. She wanted to see her family really badly. She hadn't seen them since Christmas and suddenly wished she were five again. She wanted her dad to pick her up and tell her it'd all be okay.

Allison left the room and in a few minutes, she could hear familiar voices in the hallway. She smiled weakly as she heard Lucy's hysterical voice.

_Lucy must be taking this the hardest of all_. Ruthie thought.

The door swung open and practically her entire family, Margaret, and Mac, walked in.

Her mother was in tears and rushed over to her youngest daughter, giving her a tight squeeze.

"My baby, my poor baby." She whispered. "You're all right now."

Her father walked over and squeezed her hand, she squeezed it back.

"We've been so worried, Ruthie." Eric Camden spoke quietly.

Ruthie nodded and moved her gaze away from her parents. Lucy was standing on the other side of her bed.

"We all were really scared, especially Savanah. She wanted to be here, but I insisted she and Nick stay home with the babysitter."

Ruthie smiled weakly. Savannah had grown so close to her aunt, and was delighted whenever Ruthie showed up at the Parsonage during the holidays, a long weekend or over the summer. She continued moving her eyes around the room. Simon was standing not too far from Lucy. Mac and Margaret were next to him.

"Craig." Ruthie croaked hoarsely.

Mac and Margaret exchanged looks.

"He feels awful, Ruthie. I told him to come, but he was worried you'd be angry at him."

Ruthie shook her head.

"He had no idea that would happen, we told him Saturday."

"None of us knew that would happen." Simon sighed and ran a hand through his hair, frusturated.

"Water." Ruthie looked over at her mother. Annie nodded and poured a cup of water, handing it to her daughter. Ruthie drank it all in one sip and cleared her throat. It felt a bit better.

"Thanks." She whispered.

A nurse arrived with a tray of soup and hot tea, and Ruthie sat up straight, ready to devour the delicious-smelling meal. Ruthie ate quickly and sipped on her cup of tea. Neither the soup nor the tea was like her mother's, but it was certainly better than nothing.

"When can I go?" Ruthie asked her parents.

"It depends on how you do tonight."

"Will you stay, Mom?"

"Of course, baby." Annie kissed Ruthie on the forehead. "Would you like to get some rest?"

"That would be nice." Ruthie shifted herself so she was further in bed and laid her head back, closing her eyes.

* * *

To the anonymous reviewer "guest" who reviewed chapter six, you do realize Martin raped Ruthie right? And my friend Paisley Mae is correct, Martin was never sweet. Whenever he was, he either wanted something or was hiding something.

My readers, follow me on Twitter! :D "Pie_4_Prez_2016" :)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

The weeks passed by as slow as ever for Ruthie. The day after she woke up, Annie and Eric decided to take her with them back to Glen Oak. The young woman was grateful they didn't ask and just did, she felt somewhat childish asking them if she could go home with them instead of back to her apartment. Besides, it was a crime scene, anyways. If the Fresno Special Victim's Unit hadn't looked through her apartment yet, they would soon.

It was six days after the rape when Ruthie's mother came to her as she sat in the parsonage kitchen having breakfast with her little brothers.

"Sam, David, when you're done, could you please run upstairs and get ready? We're going out today, and don't worry about your plates. Ruthie and I will take care of them."

Ruthie looked at her mother nervously. She knew her mother needed to talk to her about something, and she didn't want Sam or David to be downstairs to hear it.

"Sure, mom." Sam stood up and waited for his brother.

"Is everything all right?" David, being more in tune with the family's problems, asked.

"Yes, David, everything's just fine." Annie put on a smile and Ruthie could feel her stomach turning uneasily. What was wrong? Did it have to do with her rape? Obviously it did. Did they catch Martin?

"All right, let's go." David turned to Sam and the two went upstairs.

"Okay, mom, please tell me what's going on? I'm beginning to freak out!" Ruthie tried to keep her voice calm and quiet.

"I didn't want to tell you this too soon, but they found..." Annie gulped, not knowing how to put the next words. "Evidence in your apartment of what happened. This was Thursday afternoon and they found Martin hiding out at a friend's last night."

Ruthie's eyes widened.

"Really?"

Annie nodded, she now had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"He won't be able to hurt you anymore, baby. He's in jail."

Ruthie could feel a flood of tears building up in front of her vision and she just let them spill. A few seconds later, she could feel her mother wrap her arms around her.

It was over, Martin was arrested, but it wasn't over. Ruthie was still plagued by nightmares of him and the rape. There were many nights she woke up in sweat and tears. Eventually, she decided to move herself to Simon's old room, that way she wasn't all alone in the big attic.

On the days she was awake enough, Ruthie continued to do her assignments and classes through the internet and using email. She still managed to stay caught up in her classes, and it was soon time for finals.

Her friends back at college all missed her and most pitied her. She kept in touch with them over Skype, seeing them nearly every day just to chit-chat and to go over papers for their exams.

The middle of May brought the long awaited final exams. Ruthie managed to sit through them with her class thanks to the technology of the college's video conferencing system. Her grades came back relatively good, with B's and A's.

The week after her final exams were over with, her father came to her and told her that there would be no trial. Martin had pleaded guilty to assault and rape.

Ruthie was speechless about this, she had thought all along, no matter how hard she tried not to, that Martin would plead innocent. He would talk about how she wanted it so badly, how she wanted to be nearly asphyxiated.

"That's great!" She cried and gave her dad a hug.

"What's great?" David asked. Ruthie rolled her eyes, she should have known David would be snooping in on their conversation. After all, he _was_her little brother.

"Nothing, Dave, don't worry about it."

Ruthie ruffled her brother's hair and walked past him, heading upstairs.

"Why do you still do that as if I'm five? I'm eleven!" She could hear David call after her and she laughed. Honestly, she knew her brothers were eleven now, but she missed out on the years that mattered and before the years that mattered, she was mean to them.

She could hear her ringtone quietly and rushed up the next flight of stairs. Ruthie picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. She was very surprised to see it was Peter calling, she hadn't heard from him in five months.

"Peter?" Ruthie answered the phone.

"Hey, Ruthie, I know this is really sudden and we haven't spoken since Christmas."

"No, no, it's not sudden! Actually, I've been thinking you lately, I was just too nervous to call."

"Really? Yeah, the past few weeks have been pretty hectic. I've had final exams, work, and I've been babysitting my little sister. Anyways, I was wondering, since my parents took Katie to the zoo, would you like to hang out?"

"You didn't go to the zoo with them?"

"Nah, I've had enough of animals. We have two dogs. a parakeet, a turtle, three horses, a cat, and a goat. That's zoo enough for me."

Ruthie looked at the phone in confusion and shook her head.

"You have all those animals? Where do you live, on a farm?" Ruthie joked.

She could hear Peter laughing.

"Actually, we live on a ranch. We moved here in March. Another reason I've been way too busy."

"Wow, can I come see it?"

"Absolutely. Ask your parents first, though."

"Ask my parents? Peter, I'm twenty!"

"Yeah, well, I just thought..." Peter trailed off. "You know, with a few weeks ago."

Ruthie scoffed.

"Peter, I'm still an adult. I don't need to be treated like a child. Just get your ass over here so I can see your mansion."

She could hear Peter laughing.

"Still bossy and mean after all these years. Maybe you still are the same Ruthie Camden."

"Of course I am. See you soon." Ruthie hung up the phone and got dressed.


	9. Chapter 9

Some Pethie time! :D Yay, I'm so happy about this! And I'm even happier about the major twist at the end! ^_^

* * *

Ruthie spent part of the morning catching up with Peter and after lunch, they went horseback riding. Peter kept asking her if she was all right and treated her as if she was handicapped, and Ruthie snapped at him.

"No, I'm still the same God-fucking-damn same Ruthie Camden, Peter! I don't need you to treat me like I'm crippled." She yelled, getting off the horse without a problem.

"Like that, see?"

"I- I'm sorry. I just thought, things would be different for you now."

"No, I want to live my life just like I did before it happened. So, please, Peter, stop treating me differently. Treat me like you'd treat anyone else."

"All right, sorry." Peter mumbled, turning away from Ruthie. He grabbed the horse's rein and began to lead her back to the stables.

"Peter." Ruthie sighed, following him. They remained silent, Ruthie trying to think of what to say to him. She really missed him and wish things would just go back the way they used to be.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you." She told him once they put the horses back. They were now walking back to the house.

"I just want you to treat me like you used to. Don't treat me any differently because I was raped, I don't want that. And if you make me uncomfortable in any way, I will tell you, all right?"

Peter nodded.

"Look at me." Ruthie stopped Peter, who looked at her sadly.

"Oh, Peter." Ruthie sighed, giving him a hug. Eventually, he hugged back.

After a minute, they pulled away.

"My family should be back, you haven't seen my sister in a while."

"I haven't seen any of them in a while." Ruthie laughed and Peter joined in.

Peter was right. When they got back into the house, Paris was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Vic and Katie were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are dad and Katie?" Peter asked his mother.

"Your dad is showering, he says he swears he smells like a monkey. Katie is in her room. Could you get- Oh, hey, Ruthie! It's so nice to see you, Peter didn't tell us you were coming over."

"It's nice to see you and it was last minute. I hope that is all right with you, Paris."

"Oh, it's not a problem! Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I'd love to. Let me call my parents first."

Annie and Eric had let Ruthie stay at Peter's for dinner and Eric was planning on picking her up when they were done eating. Once Vic was showered and changed, and Katie cleaned up, the Petrowski family plus Ruthie began dinner.

"So, Ruthie, how have you been? We haven't heard from you in a while." Paris said.

"I've been all right. Just been busy with school and stuff." Ruthie smiled before taking a bite.

"Look, we heard about what happened." Vic began. "You'd think being the son of a Marine, he wouldn't be so messed up. But he is, and Peter's the son of an alcoholic. Look at him, he's perfect."

"Dad! That's inappropriate!" Peter yelled.

"Vic." Paris warned.

Ruthie couldn't help but laugh. Vic always did mean right with his crude remarks.

"I agree, Vic. But what can you do? Besides, he's in jail now. He pled guilty, it's all over now."

"I'm so happy you're doing better, Ruthie." Paris put a hand on Ruthie's for a brief second. "Peter was really worried about you."

"Oh, was he?" Ruthie looked over at her ex-boyfriend.

"Just a little." Peter mumbled.

"'Just a little'? Peter, you wouldn't come out of your room for a whole day. You sat by your phone just waiting to hear from Ruthie!" Vic reminded him, which earned him a glare from Peter.

"Anyways, how have you guys been?" Ruthie asked, hoping to change the topic.

They all continued chatting about happier topics for the rest of dinner. Once the table was cleaned up and dishes cleaned, Ruthie stepped to the foyer to call her dad.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." He had told her.

"It was nice seeing you again, Ruthie." Peter smiled when Ruthie got off the phone.

"It was, I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. It's been a while."

"Too long."

"Way too long." Peter was searching her eyes for an answer and Ruthie knew what he was asking.

"You can." She smiled and took a step closer. Peter closed the gap and gently placed his lips on hers.

"Let's keep in touch, all right?" Peter whispered, holding Ruthie by the waist. She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.

They remained standing close together until the doorbell rang.

"That should be my dad. I'll call you later?"

"Please. It was really nice seeing you again."

"It was. Bye." Ruthie smiled and opened the door.

"Ready to go?" Eric asked. He gave a quick wave to Peter before turning away.

"Good night." Peter shut the door as they walked away.

"Did you have a good time with Peter today?"

"Yeah. It was wonderful!" Ruthie smiled blissfully.

"That's good. Are you and Peter going to keep in touch?"

"Yeah. I know I've said it before, but this time, I think I really mean it."

"Oh, do you?" Eric asked his daughter curiously.

"Yeah." Ruthie looked out the window and remained silent for the rest of the ride home.

Once they were home, Ruthie wanted to get to her bedroom as quickly as possible so she could call Peter. For some reason, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She kept recalling the days when they were young teenagers and how badly she wanted them back. Ruthie was really hoping Peter and her could go back to the way they were then.

But the mention of her name on the television brought her back to reality.

"The woman in the video has been identified as Ruthie Camden, from Glen Oak."

Ruthie froze and stepped into the living room, where her mother and Kevin were watching the news.

"What is this?"

"Ruthie!" Annie cried and rushed to shut the television off.

"What video were they talking about?"

Kevin stood and walked over to his sister-in-law.

"Ruthie, when you were raped-" Kevin began, but Ruthie interrupted.

"_What_? No, Martin did _not_ make a video of it!" Ruthie cried in horror.

"I'm sorry."

Ruthie looked at her mother and Kevin in pure horror. She couldn't believe it. No wonder Martin had not fought with the authorities upon his arrest and pled guilty. He'd already gotten it all on tape for the whole world to see!

"I'm going to be sick." Ruthie ran up the steps.

* * *

Come on, you really didn't think Martin was going to give up that easily! XD


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